Books that have deeply influenced my business life (Part 2)

Howdy? Welcome to the sequel of my “finite book” list. Hope the first article has given you some reading ideas.

During the lockdown, I personally hoped to have done a sprint with my reading than I have done so far. I think that’s a result of content hogging with business and other topics of interest online. Anyway, without further ado let’s get to it.

1. Barbarians at the Gate

The very mention of this book sends goosebumps up my arms. I didn’t get any build-up from the original recommender before I started reading the same. This is perhaps one of corporate America’s famous LBO tussles, which has been brilliantly documented. The CEO of RJR Nabisco, Ross Johnson attempts to buy out the company and various other bidders begin showing. It’s no surprise since the type of business is Food and Cigarettes, which is a pretty recession-proof industry and very healthy in cash flow. Henry Kravis of KKR fame is a major actor in this whole docu-drama. I don’t want to reveal more and spoil the suspense for you. Hurry to download this on your kindle or get a hold of a copy ASAP.

2. Shoe Dog

I am not a runner! Well, I have resorted to running only to drastically cut down on weight several times over the years. But after I read Shoe Dog, I felt I was running with Phil Knight all the way. We all love or used to love our Nike’s as kids(school), college(track and field), and sneakers(all through adulthood). Well, it all started with a skinny man’s passion and innate ability to run and convince people to push/ go the distance. Frankly, this was tied as the best business book I read in 2019. It was that good. The striking takeaway was how Phil knight amplifies the essence of great partnerships( Japanese, His track coach, team-maverick sales guy) and not stopping to hustle, in this book. After all, he’s made almost everyone run in the iconic brand he created in 1971.

3. Straight from the Gut

Again, this book was one I picked up in the early part of my working career. Jack Welsh aka Neutron Jack was a legend in all management circles. It was no surprise that I finished reading this book to realize that my employer had pretty much reused most of the concepts in it into HR policies, pretty much word for word. Not surprising. Leaders who are tenacious don’t come around every day. Especially super smart and firm people managers like Neutron Jack. He spent his entire career at GE growing from the ranks, managing various different business lines, and expertly selecting and grooming his successor Jeff Immelt who went on to have a great leadership career. After all, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

4. The Hard Thing about Hard Things

Ben Horowitz’s book of his trials, pains and experience in running, building, investing, and keeping a company afloat is the reason this book co-shares my best business book of 2019. A lot of people especially the media glorify entrepreneurship. Ben through its book shows us that it’s hard, it’s really hard. There are tough things to do. Firing friends, losing contracts, deciding to go public when to strike the iron at its hottest etc. Interestingly I have dealt with his company Opsware (talked about in the book) when I was in Japan in 2006. So it was interesting to read what went on till the liquidity/acquisition happened. Silicon Valley top VC writing some of his favorite rap lyrics is pretty darn cool as well :)

5. Leaving Microsoft to Change the World

We all know Bill Gates and often hear about the “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation”. I chanced upon John Wood’s book, and the title struck a chord. Quite like James Wood, a person can hit his career pinnacle, first at banking and later at Microsoft, which were heady days. But somewhere along the way, he found his true Ikigai or True North. And that was in the form of Room to Read a non-profit organization which helped kids to read in remote parts of the world in Asia, starting with Nepal. The skills acquired during a corporate career were quite transferrable into a non-profit space. His NGO went on to give scholarships for girls. We all live in a world with a lot of pressures, aspirations, and expectations. Sometimes, we might be forced to do deep introspection that eventually sets us on a path to nourish our soul. This book is a gem for that purpose.

As always, hoping to pass on the magical enchantment that these books have left me.